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20 22 TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
Table of contents
Web design that goes beyond just the aesthetics 04
SEO that goes beyond individual metrics 10
Content that goes beyond entertaining 16
Social media that goes beyond occasional interactions 21
PPC that goes beyond the clicks 25
What will 2022 truly bring to your legal marketing? 30
02
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
“In life, change is inevitable.
In business, change is vital.”
- Warren G. Bennis
Are you investing in digital marketing, or planning to? en embracing
the technologies and tactics of tomorrow is your best bet to making the
new year your own!
e following are the top legal marketing trends that your firm should
be on the lookout this 2022:
03
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
Web design
that goes beyond just the aesthetics.
Let’s put things into perspective for a moment - when you’re on the lookout for the best
physician, the most renowned restaurant to dine at, the most experienced personal trainer
near you, or really a professional in any industry, you’re likely doing your research online. Your
potential legal clients are doing the same and because of this your website design is
fundamental to your firm’s success.
Guaranteeing the ease of usability of your firm’s website will continue being an imperative in
2022, as an increasing number of prospects begin to expect online pathways to legal services.
Meeting expectations has become the norm - it will be critical for your firm to exceed them in
order to remain ahead of the increasingly competitive game.
04
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
It’s all about first impressions!
It’s no secret that people’s attention spans are decreasing - some of the most recent studies
have found that it has dropped to 8 seconds! is makes your site’s first impression the most
important one it will make. Is your web design created with optimal focus and emphasis on the
right things?
If you’re making wise use of white space, aka negative space, then you're on the right path. In
addition to helping your site seem less cluttered and graphically overwhelming to your
prospects (who are likely already emotionally strained by their current circumstances),
negative space allows for you to visually guide your visitors to where you ultimately want them
to go. While there are a number of web design elements your firm needs to improve its digital
footprint, the following can help you boost your site’s image and conversion rate.
1
Designing with
Purpose
e up-keep and maintenance of your website is equally as important as the initial investment
you make to get your firm’s website designed. e benchmark is to have a dynamic site that
keeps up with your user’s needs: Easy navigation, clear designs and relevant content.
Part of this process involves occasionally revamping the visuals (or even overhauling them
altogether) to make sure your firm’s digital presence is caught up with the trends, whatever
they may be. ink of your website as one that’s evolutionary rather than something that’s
“done” or “not done,” and it requires consistent yet incremental steps to ensure your firm
doesn’t fall behind.
05
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
By having a digital marketing team that takes care of your website month a er month, you can
test out different ideas on a more consistent basis. is’ll help you actively improve in the
search rankings, increase your overall brand awareness and it’ll cater to the current wants and
needs of your prospects and clients.
How to apply it:
+ A/B test (split test) different designs. Try different layouts and positions of your content in the
homepage!
+ Test out different content ideas e.g. revamp old content with the latest information.
+ Try different headlines, text and fonts.
HOME PAGE HOME PAGE
06
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
2
Be a Leader of
Digital Accessibility
Accessibility is key to your firm’s success. It means making sure everyone has access and
navigates your website with ease - including people with disabilities. is trend has been
around and is showing signs of becoming increasingly critical to your site’s overall health and
success. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 of adults in the U.S. have some type of disability - that’s
25% of your potential market!
It’s important that everyone that’s looking for legal services is able to perceive, understand and
navigate your firm’s website.
How to apply it:
+ Making sure the color contrast is balanced - not too harsh or difficult for the eye to read and
see. WebAIM offers a free color contrast checker.
+ Apply alternative text, alt text, to your images. is is a brief description of their content and
appears if the image fails to load or if e.g. the user is using a screen reader.
+ Add descriptive labels in your fill out forms. Take a look at this example:
Fill out the form below to talk to a Fill out the form below to talk to a
member of our team. member of our team.
First Name
First Name
Email Email
07
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
3
Prioritizing
First-Party Cookies
Google plans to phase out support for third-party cookies in 2023 and it’s critical to prepare
your firm for a cookie-less world. Firms have to already start preparing to gather their own
website data (first-party cookies) rather than depending on third-party cookies from Chrome
and other browsers. e push of first-party cookies means businesses will have to test new
marketing methods.
How to apply it:
+ Adding user registration forms on your website.
+ Test out other channels linked to your website, such as social channels.
+ Sending targeted and personalized emails.
4
Being Transparent
About Privacy
is is related to the previous point on first-party cookies. ese cookies need a user’s personal
information such as: name, last name and email, which are willingly provided by the users -
many of them (79%), however, are growing concerned with how companies use their data.
08
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
erefore, it’s critical your firm is transparent about what the data is for, how it’ll be used and
how it’s protected. In other words, designing with transparency in mind.
How to apply it:
+ Showcase how you safeguard the user’s privacy.
+ Explain how the shared data relates to the value they’ll receive in return.
5
Website load time
and Page Speed
are Still King!
One element that never goes out of style is a website’s loading time. Ideally you’ll want your
website to load within two to three seconds. Aer that, at around 4 seconds 1 in 4 of all visitors
will abandon the site.
How to apply it:
+ Optimize your images and videos. If possible, compress some images
https://www.consultwebs.com/services/seond larger files.
+ Use 3rd party hosting like Vimeo.
+ Minimize the amount of redirects, which is when visitors on one page get forwarded to
another.
09
2022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
SEO
that goes beyond individual metrics.
SEO will continue to be the number one area of focus for many businesses. 2021 was a year of
increased search activity for many due to the pandemic and the consequential dramatic
increase in remote work, as well as decreased physical social interaction.
SEO is more than just placing keywords, it's dynamic and competitive. is is especially the
case in practice areas like family law, criminal law and personal injury, with other practice
areas like bankruptcy and employment law are rapidly closing in in terms of competitiveness.
Below, you’ll be able to gather more info on the specifics of what’s to come for SEO in 2022.
Remember, you don’t have to do it all alone. Our team of legal SEO specialists are always ready
to help your law firm.
102022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
1
Getting the
Featured Snippet
e featured snippet is also called position zero for a reason - it’s above the paid ads in the
search results, it’s above anything else. It is essentially a box that appears in the search results
and provides the most relevant information according to Google. Here’s an example:
e beauty of this snippet is that it is really there and up for grabs. When a user searches
“what’s the difference between contingency fee and hourly rate?” e answer that Google
prioritizes isn’t based on who pays the most but rather who provides the most relevant and
robust content.
112022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
How to apply it:
+ Answer specific questions - the more specific, the better!
+ Know what your users are asking.
+ Create high-quality content.
+ Optimize your FAQ page regularly.
2
Opting for AI
Powered Technology
AI, artificial intelligence, is here to stay! is technology is already behind many services like
chatbots (we’ll elaborate on these in the next point) and search engines. A number of
businesses are supercharging their AI powered business strategy for a variety of reasons.
ose that are staying ahead of the curve and fully embrace AI benefit from: better customer
experiences, improved decision-making, innovate their services, achieve cost savings, operate
more efficiently overall, and increase productivity. Here’s the some proof of AIs potential:
+ More AI means more benefits All companies Companies that have fully embraced AI
Create better customer experiences
67%
86%
Improve decision-making
54%
75%
Innovate our products and services
53%
75%
Achieve cost savings
50%
70%
Operate more efficiently / increase productivity
52%
64%
Q3: To what degree have your All investments in this area lived up to expectations, % answering ‘’currently realizing benefits’’ Top five from list of 10 options
Sources: PwC 2021 Al Predictions. Bases: 1,032,257
122022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
ere are AI powered programs like Jarvis that can read the Internet and can help you write
content pieces such as blog posts and social media posts, based on its findings on trending
topics and keywords.
How to apply it:
+ Mix AI with human touch. Although AI is able to write blog posts and social media posts, that
human je ne sais quoi is vital to make it content that is enjoyable to read.
+ Identify ways AI can help your firm. While there are hundreds of content pieces stating the
benefits of AI - your firm’s wants and needs are unique to you! (Need help figuring out how
your firm could leverage AI? Let’s jump on a call and discuss things further.)
3
Adding Advanced
Chatbots and
Conversational
Marketing
Marketing today is more conversational than ever - and this is achieved, largely thanks to
personalization. People today want immediate responses - 82% of them expect an immediate
response to their sales and marketing questions. One way to enhance the customer interaction
and make it more customized to the clients’ needs is through chatbots.
e majority of chatbots today are driven by AI. ey are soware applications that
communicate with users via live chats, messagings, calls, etc. Here’s how you can get started:
+ Use a platform like ChattyPeople to create a functioning chatbot.
+ Define your goals - How can a chatbot facilitate the sales process for prospects?
+ Create a natural conversational flow.
132022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
4
e Rise of
Voice Search
Today, around one-third of the U.S. population uses voice search to conduct searches. Just think
back to the popular voice search assistants we use today like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant
and Apple’s Siri. While people are on the go, they use the help of voice assistants for commands
and queries such as: “What’s the closest car accident law firm near me?” Or “What should I do
if someone hits my parked car?”
With that said, the question that arises is - how can your firm prepare for the rise of voice
search? For starters, the majority of voice search commands come from mobile devices,
making it imperative that your content is optimized for mobile devices. In addition to this, voice
search commands tend to be longer because while we can only write 40 words per minute, we
can speak 150 words per minute. Since voice search is all vocal commands, the best tip is to
optimize your content with long-tailed keywords.
How to apply it:
+ Ensure you have long-tailed keywords in your content. For example, instead of “personal
injury,” you can optimize for the long-tailed keyword, “truck accident firm in Dallas, Texas.”
is is not only more specific, but it also speaks directly to your niche audience in a specific
area.
+ Add trigger words such as: how, what, best, and easy.
Want to know more about why voice search is relevant for law firms?
We’ve covered more details here.
142022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
5
Generating the
Best Results with
Geo-Fencing
Your clients are your main source of revenue. Geo-fencing can help you reach the audience that
you need and vice versa, help the audience that needs you, find you.
Geo-fencing refers to a generated radius based on relevant geographic sectors to that market
and that is possible by creating a virtual perimeter around your businesses’ location.
is is a critical trend for law firms that are investing money in marketing efforts such as PPC.
For example, if a user is looking for “the best family lawyer near me,” it’s critical your firm is able
to connect with this audience and convert the user into a client.
In order to engage with the audience that is most likely to convert based on the location, take
the following steps:
+ Ensure the content is optimized for mobile.
+ Have clear goals and objectives e.g. Do you want to attract users and provide them with
additional information or do you want them to schedule a call?
+ Find users at specific venues relevant to your firm’s practices. If we look back at the family
lawyer example - a best practice would be to look at the specific services you want to offer
e.g. business ownership and invest in relevant ads in places like entrepreneur conferences,
workshops, seminars, etc.
152022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
Content
that goes beyond entertaining.
Year aer year, content continuously shis focus and it might seem impossible to keep up. At its
core though, content should be customized to speak your prospects’ language.
It should also understand their personal pains and desires, touch on the challenges and
provide solutions.
Given the constant and rapid evolution of consumers’ behavior, we’ll be covering the content
trends that are the most pertinent to the legal world.
162022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
1
Video Marketing
Stands Strong
Video marketing continues to grow stronger, and there’s scientific reasoning behind the
success of video marketing. As humans, we are visual beings that process visuals 60,000X
faster than words.
However, the adoption of video marketing in the legal profession is still slow. In 2020, only 24%
of respondents said their firms use video as part of their marketing. Nevertheless, the influential
power videos can have over your firm’s business is bigger than you might think. Biteable
conducted research to prove the effectiveness of videos and the following was concluded:
+ 60% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
+ 61% of marketers see video as a “very important or extremely important” part of their
marketing strategy
+ 74% of marketers say video has a better return on investment than static imagery.
How to apply it:
+ Don’t be afraid to showcase your firm’s personality! ink back to the questions: what’s your
mission? What are your core values and how can you translate that into visuals?
+ Add testimonials e.g. a personal injury firm could showcase a testimonial of a client whose
life changed aer X firm helped them out with their car accident case.
+ Include closed captions because not everyone is going to look at your videos with sound on.
In the U.S. around 92% of consumers watch videos with the sound off.
172022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
2
Audio Ads
Sound Promising
Audio ads have a promising future - ad spend in this area is expected to show an annual
growth rate of 10.55%! Although it isn’t entirely up to one factor, the pandemic did play a big
part in boosting global listening.
Audio ads can be placed in pre-rolls (before), mid-rolls (during) and post-rolls (aer) a stream.
ey’re not visual, however they are short: between 15, 30 or 60 seconds. Audio ads are gaining
popularity for the following reasons:
+ It has a highly targeted audience reach.
+ Allows you to track your ad spend.
+ Boosts your branding.
How to apply it:
+ Plan the objectives.
+ Plan the frequency - you want your ad to be memorable but you don’t want to annoy people.
+ Keep it conversational.
+ Include a clear CTA (call to action).
182022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
3
Podcasts Will
Keep Growing
Although visual videos are on the rise, that doesn’t mean audio is le behind! In reality,
podcasts continue to rise. e adoption of podcasts rose due to factors like the pandemic
where 60% of the podcast listening was done at home.
How to apply it:
+ Have a central topic of focus.
+ Have talking show notes with possible questions to ask.
+ Add a CTA to redirect the visitors. E.g. do you want to take them to a blog post? Or a specific
page on your website such as the contact us form?
4
Engaging with
Push Notifications
Nowadays, one of the best ways you can grab and retain attention is by using push
notifications. is is key to engaging with all your prospects across different devices but more
so, mobiles. Mobile usage surpassed desktops and is expected to increase a whopping additional
25% from the current levels by 2025.
192022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
To keep your different audiences engaged, you’ll need to create clear objectives. Do you want
grow your subscriber list? Increase followers? Sales? It’s better to have clear objectives of what
you’d like to reach. is will later ensure the copy reflects the goals. Since the window of
opportunity is so small, we’d like to help you with a few best practices.
How to apply it:
+ Be timely.
+ Keep it short and simple.
+ Add a clear call to action.
Take a look at these two push notification samples and see why it works:
Why It Works Why It Works
+ Timely. + Timely announcement.
+ Encourages goals. + Aligned to interests.
+ Effective call to action. + Enticing call to action.
202022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
Social media
that goes beyond occasional interactions.
Social networking is by far the most popular online activity and it’ll keep on growing thanks to
increased mobile-usage. According to Statista, by 2022 there will be around 3.96 billion users
and it is estimated that by 2025 the number will rise to 4.41 billion.
Today, the overwhelming majority of firms and attorneys have some form of social media
presence. According to the ABA, 81% of respondents say that their firm maintains a presence
in at least one social media channel. Although it isn’t set in stone, opting for socials seems like
a solid promise this 2022.
212022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
More specifically among those, LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for law firms.
Given the many new updates, we’ll decide to focus the upcoming social media trends on the
ones most applicable for firms:
1
Opting for
Hybrid Events
Events aren’t what they used to be but many are working their way around the changes and
one way is through hybrid events. Since there’s a state-by-state Coronavirus restriction, many
are finding new ways to plan, organize, promise and host events.
While some might opt for in-person meetings, others might opt for online or hybrid meetings.
Whatever you opt for, it’s critical to be prepared for online and offline events. For example, if
you are hosting a remote event it’s important there is a team supporting technical issues, if the
event is in-person, make sure you have staff ready to take on any on-site obstacles with the
booth.
In the case of hybrid events, both preparations are needed to ensure a seamless and successful
gathering.
How to apply it:
+ Present the same to both audiences.
+ Check all apparatuses beforehand, especially audio.
+ Add other elements like: guest speakers, games, live polls/quizzes and breaks.
222022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
2
Reeling in the Big
Fish with Reels
Reels: the secret ingredient behind TikTok overtaking the Youtube average watch time. Reels
are short, engaging videos and it’s available on other big platforms like Instagram and
Facebook. However, Instagram has decided to focus on reels and entertaining video content in
order to compete with platforms like TikTok.
Reels are so powerful because they stand out amongst the sea of content that’s being pushed.
Videos like reels are processed at a faster rate than those featuring an image or text.
How to apply it:
+ Make it fun, but add quality.
+ Humanize your firm with music, text and captions.
+ Highlight unique and interesting points.
+ ink outside the box!
3
..
X .
Joining Niche
Law Firm Marketing
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Law Firm Marketing
Facebook Groups
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Facebook continues to dominate as the #1 social media platform, as it excels at connecting
niche communities to one another. is is relevant for firms looking to help prospects in specific
areas.
232022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
For example, if you’re a personal injury firm specializing in truck accidents, then you’ll want to
join groups where these audiences can be found.
How to apply it:
Join the main Facebook groups. ere you can begin your search:
+ Facebook groups: You can join and network with groups that are relevant to your firm.
+ Live audio rooms: Discover and join conversations with other thought-leaders.
+ Facebook lives: Be the thought leader by hosting a real time event.
4
Implementing
Linkedin Creator
Mode
LinkedIn launched creator mode, a profile setting on your dashboard that can help grow your
influence. It has additional tools that can help firms create content, network beyond their reach
and thus, grow their connections.
How to apply it:
LinkedIn added a step-by-step how to turn on the creator mode guide. If your firm opts for a
creator mode profile on LinkedIn, this is what will happen:
+ e profile is converted to a ‘follow’ account.
+ Access to the latest LinkedIn creator tools.
+ Option to publish a LinkedIn newsletter.
+ Immediate access to lives without having to fill in applications.
For those who want to amp up their networking game on LinkedIn, this sounds like a solid
promise this 2022. If you’d also like to remove all the headaches and have a team do all of this
for you - we’re here to help you.
242022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
PPC
that goes beyond the clicks
Just like SEO, PPC (pay-per-click) is estimated to be a crucial player for many this 2022.
It will continue to grow primarily because it isn’t working in silos. Trends like AI or voice search
affect how PPC works.
Below are PPC trends law firms should be on the lookout for:
252022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
1
Adding PPC
Automation
AI is a prominent player in all business sectors, and PPC is no exception. Although AI already
offers automation for other marketing sectors like SEO, the PPC automation is also evolving.
It isn’t clear as of yet how exactly AI will shi the functionality of PPC, some expect better
ad-testing, smart analysis of headlines, calls to action and it also helps identify if and where
there are wasted marketing dollars.
Since, this is still evolving it’s hard to predict how to apply it, but the following are automation
tools to help you get started:
+ Microso ’s Digital Marketing Center
+ Optmyzr
+ Adobe Advertising Cloud
2
Exploring Affiliate
Marketing
Affiliate marketing can help you turn things around quickly. How? It gets your message across
to the right people - the ones interested in your legal services.
262022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
is type of marketing is based on promoting your services through someone else.
How to apply it:
+ Choose affiliate marketers based on the audiences you need to reach.
+ Offer something captivating.
+ Provide pre-made materials, such as case studies or best practices.
3
Organizing Smart
Biddings
Google’s smart bidding uses machine learning (an extension of AI) to optimize for conversions or
conversion valued in each auction. ere are four main reasons why businesses continuously
opt for this bidding strategy:
+ It helps you make more accurate predictions on how different bid amounts could impact
your conversion rate.
+ Has a ‘signals’ option where businesses can target users based on even more specific
segmentations such as: particular auction behaviors, devices and locations.
+ Allows setting performance and targeted customized settings linked to your firm’s business
goals.
+ Offers a deeper and transparent performance report.
How to apply it:
+ According to Google this kind of bidding strategy should be tied to business and overall
campaign goals. e following is an example:
272022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
Business Goal Campaign Goal Smart Bidding Strategy
Increase sales Get as many conversions as possible at Maximize conversions,
or leads a fixed budget or fixed ROI Target CPA
Increase Get as many conversions as possible at Target ROAS, Maximize
profit a fixed budget or fixed return on ad conversion value
spend ( ROAS )
4
Including RSAs
Official Site | Law Firm Marketing |
(Responsive
Search Ads)
Made Easy
Ad www.example.com/marketing/lawfirmmarketing
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Starting June 30, 2022, Google will begin to prioritize RSAs, also known as responsive search
ads. To help you better understand, let’s take a look back at what Google ads were and how
RSAs came to change it all. e original text ads in Google consisted of headlines and a body.
With RSAs it’s different.
Instead of the whole ad being viewed as one, with RSAs each piece of content in the ads is
viewed as an asset. You can add different headlines and descriptions and Google will help you
mix and match to find the best combination according to your campaign goals. Besides having
the headline and body copy, a big plus of RSAs is that it also offers an external link placement,
here’s an example:
282022 Legal Marketing Trends & Predictions
How to apply it:
+ Get creative and A/B test different headlines and body copies (there’s a limit of 3 RSAs per
ad group).
+ Make sure you include at least one of the keywords in the headlines.
+ Highlight features and benefits linked to a problem you’ll be solving.
+ Have a team of PPC experts do the work for you! At the end of the day, if you want to avoid
the pains and headaches of having to go through endless tutorials and trials and errors, one
of the best bets you can make this 2022 is partnering up with legal PPC experts.
29What will 2022 truly bring to your legal marketing? With every new year, comes a new slate upon which to write your personal and professional dreams and desires for the future. While 2021 was already a year of continuously adjusting and moving towards more digital efforts, 2022 will propel this even more. Specifically in marketing, the upcoming new trends will change how firms connect and sell to their prospects. During the pandemic, digital marketing overtook traditional marketing for many reasons but primarily for factors like working from home. Today, this is still applicable. Although some firms might return back to their offices or provide a hybrid option, the pandemic will continue to push for more innovation this 2022. As we enter this new year, we hope your firm prepares to take the right risks, defy expectations and outperform beyond your wildest dreams! Regardless of which trends you’d like to apply, it’ll always boil down to meeting clients where they are today. We hope this document helps your firm grow and prosper this new year. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or better yet - get a head start: we’re here to guide you all the way through. For more information, visit https://www.consultwebs.com/ , check out the most epic legal marketing updates in our blog section and gather the best breakthrough legal insights with our LAWsome podcast.
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